Buchanan more secure for 2014?

U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan is looking more secure heading into his re-election than he has since 2010, according to one of the nation’s top political analysts.

According to the Cook Political Report, Buchanan is not even considered one of the more than 60 “competitive races” heading into the 2014 election cycle. In fact, Buchanan’s 16th District is considered “solid Republican” according to the editors.

Of Florida’s 27 House seats, only six are considered potentially competitive by the Cook Political Report’s editors. They take into consideration a member’s past victories and how the presidential race turned out in a district, among other factors.

Reps Joe Garcia, D-Miami, and Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, are considered to be in the most vulnerable heading into 2014. Both are in their first terms in Congress, and in Murphy’s 18th District, Republican Mitt Romney beat President Barack Obama by 4 percentage points.

Those two are in districts that are among 7 nationwide considered toss-up for 2014.

Buchanan won his re-election over Democrat Keith Fitzgerald in 2012 by almost 8 percentage points (54 percent to 46 percent). Also, Romney won the 16th Congressional District by 9 percentage points.

No Democrats have filed yet to challenge Buchanan in 2014.

U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, whose 17th District includes part of Manatee and Charlottee, is also considered a safe Republican district according to the Cook Political Report. Romney carried the district by 16 percentage points and Rooney won his re-election by 18 percentage points(59 percent to 41 percent).

No candidates have filed to challenge Rooney in 2014 either.

Jeremy Wallace

Jeremy Wallace has covered politics for more than 15 years.
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Last modified: April 5, 2013
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